Jackson: Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Short Story #11)

NEW SHORT STORY ALERT! This one is extra special because it's going to be part of a book I am going to start working on very soon. It's connected with the A Tragic Heart series but is strictly told from Adalyn and Jackson's POV. Two supporting characters are being turned into the stars!

At first I was iffy about the idea because I didn't want to drag it but I realized while on Parahoy that Paramore's music inspired it and as long as they're going to continue on, why shouldn't I. I won't make this book part 5 of the series but it will act as a stand alone novel that is heavily associated with the others. Basically, it will help a lot if you read the first 4 before reading this one but you won't have to. It won't be a long one either...probably 150-200 pages maximum. The name of the book will be the same as this short story, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. I'll give you more info on it in another post very soon. For now, check this one out (and the last short story if you haven't). If it fit with any book it would be part of What Could've Been (Book 4) Also, you may want to take a look at where the story stems from: Jackson: The Surprise

Listen to "Two Weeks" by FKA Twigs on repeat while reading for the full experience:

Jackson: Crazy Little Thing Called Love

                She comes behind me and wraps her arms around my shoulders. She plants soft kisses on my neck, distracting me from time on my guitar. I place it to the side and she knows that’s her cue to take its place on my lap. 

                “Are you sure you can’t stay the night?” she asks poking out her lip, already knowing the answer.

                “I gotta get back home to Megan. We’re working it out,” I reply in a defeated tone. 

                She looks down. I know just what she’s thinking. “Then what are we doing?”

                “I love you,” I told her touching her face. “You know that…me and her…we just have two kids and I didn’t think you would ever want me the way I wanted you…”

                “I’m sorry for hurting you the way I did…for being so indecisive but I know what I want now and that’s you. This situation is really fucked up and I know that…I would’ve never thought I could do something like this but-“

                “No need to explain. I know. We’re in the same position,” I say pulling her closer to me.

                Time on tour together turned into something neither of us ever expected. After I found Megan in bed with another man while our kids were asleep in the next room, I left for tour and never confronted my feelings. I was pretty down and out for most of the time but it was her who brought me back. She showed me a good time one night and that was that. I never meant for any of this to happen and neither did she. Besides, she had something going on with my sister’s ex-husband and she used to date the lead singer of her band, who is currently my sister’s husband and one of my closest friends. Complicated, huh? Not to mention, she’s now my sister’s best friend…in a way they’re like sisters so this makes it all the more complicated. These are the reasons it has to remain a secret. I’m a married man having an affair. I’m just as bad as my wife. 

                After catching Megan in the act we separated for a while. My heart was intent on divorce and that’s when Adalyn and I started our fling. It was purely sexual at that time but I fell for her in ways I never imagined. It was her beauty, physical and internal. I poured my heart out to her one night and scared her away. She told me what we had was just for fun…nothing serious. It was cold and harsh; meanwhile my wife wanted to work it out with me so I gave into her. There was no point in being lonely. I mean, I still loved Megan, I just couldn’t look at her the same way, but I was willing to try. 

                Long story short: when I was gone she realized she loved me too and now we’re here. After her confession we tried to avoid each other as much as we could but I had to give in. I wanted something new…someone who didn’t hurt me. With Megan it started to feel forced but with Adalyn it was all natural. She started as a friend and ended up being so much more. Everything was easy and it was just what I needed. Fast forward and here we are: loving each other in secret, afraid to let anyone know because of what they might think.

                “I’ll come by tomorrow night after I put the kids to bed. I’ll just tell her I’m utilizing some studio time solo,” I say caressing her arm.

                “You’ve used that lie too many times…why not the truth?”

                She’s ready for this to come out and in a way I am too. It’s just that I know the timing isn’t right. I haven’t wrapped my head around leaving my family for someone else. I mean, I would never abandon my children, they’ll always be a major part of my life and Adalyn understands that. I’m just not ready to take them through another separation knowing this time it’ll be permanent. I’m not sure how they’ll take having a second “mommy” around so soon.

                “I’ll tell the truth…eventually…” I reply. “You just have to be patient. I know you have been for a while now but it’ll come soon. I just have to find the right words and the time.”

                “There will never be a right time,” she corrects me.

                I see where this is going and it’s heading nowhere fast. I roughly grab her face and kiss her. She doesn’t seem to mind. I let go and stare into her eyes. The light quickly reflects off of them causing them to look a lighter shade of brown for an instant. 

                “See you tomorrow?” she asks as if she’s uncertain that I’ll be there.

                “Yeah, you can count on it.”

                She stands up and I follow her lead. I allow her to walk me to the door but I can’t help but notice that disappointing look on her face. I’m not trying to hurt her or Megan but it seems that’s all I’m doing lately. I touch her face one last time and she gets what I’m trying to say. I kiss her cheek and she smirks. 

                “I love you,” I tell her once more. 

                “Same here…”

                And that was it for the night…it was time to head back to my wife and kids…

Don't forget to check out the series here: A Tragic Heart Series

 

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Adalyn: Whirlwind (Short Story #10)

See, I told you I would post something at least once a week! I know the week is really over but it doesn't truly start a new week until Monday, right?! Right! Besides, I gave you two posts last week! Anyway, here's a new short story for you guys to enjoy. It's from Adalyn's point of view and if you read Turn It Off you'll know that she mentioned her dad had a history of drug abuse while she was trying to help Peyton with his problem. This is about one of those moments.

Read the short story from last week here: Ronan: It's Always Her (Cont.)

Listen to "Shouldn't Come Back" by Demi Lovato on repeat while reading for the full experience: 

Adalyn: Whirlwind 

                They’re arguing again. I love my dad but I think he’s lost his mind. I know any moment now my brother will come into the room to have someone to escape the madness with. This is an ongoing thing now. He’s always had a history with drug abuse but it seems the addiction is back and all I want is for him to go away. He doesn’t understand the pain he causes when he lets his demon get the best of him. He’s not the same person. 

                My father’s a very successful business man. He owns a chain of “do it yourself” hardware stores across the country. He’s won many awards for his achievements yet he’s a drug addict. No one ever thinks an addict can look as clean cut and intelligent as he is but then again most people don’t know the truth. They only go by what they see in the media and on TV. He’s not the poster child for drug abuse when it comes to looks but his behavior…

                It hurts so much. My mom tries so hard to keep the family together and pretend that it’s all normal but both Mike and I knew. We can hear them through the thin walls. We’ve seen the evidence around the house. The thing about drug addicts is they get sloppy. They can hide it for a while but soon nothing else matters to them but their drugs. It’s the same thing that started to happen to Peyton. It’s how I knew before anyone else. 

                Speaking of Peyton, I wish I could talk to him about it but he’s busy trying to get himself clean in rehab. I can’t tell him that my dad fell off the wagon again while he’s trying so hard to get on. It’s almost like I can’t win. No one else knows about my dad’s problem outside of the family except for Peyton. He’s not only my boyfriend but my best friend. I’ve never felt so alone before. 

                My brother knocks on my door before I yell for him to come in. I already knew who it was. He closes the door behind him and sits on my bed. 

                “They’re going at it again,” he says staring down at the floor.

                “What happened this time?” I ask sitting next to him.

                “Mom found a needle on the floor in the bathroom.” He looked so disgusted when he said it. I felt the same way on the inside. 

                “Oh. I figured it was something like that when mom yelled something about rehab.”

                “Adalyn, is it ever going to get better? Will he ever just quit or is this just going to be a sick cycle?” he asks finally looking up at me.

                I remained quiet for a while before answering. “I don’t know. I hope he just quits and be done with it for good.” I pause before saying what I really wanted. “Sometimes I think we’d be better off without him.”

                Mike looks at me like he wants to disagree but I know he can’t. “I know what you mean,” he says quietly. “But he’s our dad so we have to find a way to help him. I don’t want to lose him to this.”

                “We just might though…”

                I couldn’t be optimistic about anything. My boyfriend was in rehab for the summer while my dad should be in a rehab. Why is this my life at 15? Why is this my brother’s life at 14? We’re too young for these kinds of problems. It’s slowly ruining us. My father is ruining us. That pains me. 

                Maybe he should go away for a while…and maybe he shouldn’t come back. Him being here is just a whirlwind of chaos.

Don't forget to pick up your copy of Turn It Off and the rest of the series here: A Tragic Heart Series

               

 

Adalyn: At Least We're Still Friends (Short Story)

Last week I posted a short story from Mason's POV and this week's story takes off from that one but it's from Adalyn's POV. You can read last week's here (Mason: The Brother's Club) to catch up. This scene is strictly between Adalyn and Peyton and if it belonged to a book it would be part of Turn It Off (Book 3). Hope you enjoy!

Listen to "At Least My Heart Was Open" by Foy Vance on repeat while reading:

https://soundcloud.com/foyvance/at-least-my-heart-was-openhttps://soundcloud.com/foyvance/at-least-my-heart-was-open

Adalyn: At Least we’re Still Friends

            There he stood right in front of me. All six foot two of him, his green eyes staring at me; those same eyes I fell in love with…those same eyes that convinced me to give it all to him. We were in the back of the barely lit bar our band plays in from time to time. We just finished a show and the rest of our crew already left to go home. It was just me, Peyton and the bar employees. 

            “Tonight went well,” he said taking a seat next to me. 

            I could barely look at him; not after what I did…not after what our breakup did to him. Mason told me he ended up in a hospital bed getting his stomach pumped from alcohol poisoning. He almost drank himself to death because he was so depressed. He wouldn’t take it well if he knew what happened between me and his cousin last week. 

            “Yeah, it did,” I replied looking down at my drink. I circled my finger around the rim of the glass. Anything not to look at him. 

            I still love him…I always will and part of me wants him back but I’m not sure how smoothly that would work out.

            “Mason told me you came by last week looking for me. I got a little caught up and never got the chance to stop by,” he said positioning himself to look directly at me. 

            I could tell he knew something was bothering me. I hoped he didn’t ask. 

            “Yeah, I did. I wanted to talk to you about us…I just wanted to make sure we didn’t lose our friendship,” I took a sip of my drink. “We’ve been best friends and bandmates for too long to let our relationship fuck all that up. I just wanted you to know that I will always love you Peyton and I don’t want us to not be us anymore.”

            “I feel the same way,” he said as he placed his hand over mine. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. Adalyn, I really wanted us to work. I’m madly in love with you and…I’m sorry. I was a jerk…an asshole.”

            At that very moment I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to forget all this talk about friendship and grab him right there. I gulped down my drink quickly to avoid the feeling. 

            All I wanted was to tell him I was sorry and explain to him that Mason was a mistake. I didn’t mean to sleep with his cousin that day. It just happened. After spending the day with him, I felt a short connection with him and Peyton just never showed up. I was vulnerable and Mason looked good with his wet hair slicked back and his shirt off. I never thought the second guy I would lay with would be my ex-boyfriend’s cousin. They’re like brothers and this would devastate Peyton. Mason and I vowed to keep it a secret. Besides, no one needs to know. It’s not like it would happen again anyway. 

            “How are we going to go back to being just friends if we’re still this much in love?” he asked grabbing hold of his beer bottle in front of him. 

            “We’ll just have to deal with it. We did the best we could as lovers and it didn’t work. We always worked as friends though. It’ll be hard but we’ll be okay,” I answered finally looking up at him. He really is a handsome boy…red hair and all; in fact it only makes him more attractive. 

            “Before we go back to being just friends can I kiss you one last time?” he asked moving in closer. 

            “But…we’re in a bar with people around,” I objected. 

            “No one’s paying any attention to us. I just want one last kiss and that’ll be it,” he continued to press the issue. 

            He had a point. The lights were dim and the bar crew was cleaning up. I leaned in and lightly grabbed him by his collar. He smirked a little before I pressed my lips against his. He pulled me closer and groaned a little. I wanted more…I wanted to take it back and say let’s try one more time but I thought about what happened with Mason last week and all of my thoughts were shattered. If I got back with Peyton I would have to tell him. I fucked up any chance of there being an “us” ever again. If he knew, he would never look at me the same. He would call me a name or two and stop speaking to his cousin. Peyton’s temper isn’t made for the truth. 

            I pull back and he tries to kiss me again but I turn my face away from him. I can’t do it another time. Once was enough. 

            “Come on Addy…let’s just go back to my place and work this out,” he softly pleads. “I love you and you love me. Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be. I’ll be better this time. I’ll put a cap on my rage and I’ll be more respectful of you.”

            “Peyton, no.” My eyes are teary and my face is turning red. “Trust me, you don’t want me. I’m not the same me anymore. We won’t be the same.”

            He caressed my arm and bit his bottom lip. He didn’t hear a word I just said. All he thought about was taking me back to his place and “making up”. 

            “Peyton!” I raised my voice a little and smacked his hand away. He jumped back into reality. “No! I’m just going to go home now. I’ll talk to you later.” I got up and walked toward the door at the back of the bar. I took one last look at him before walking out. He focused his eyes on mine and I saw the anger inside of him. I walked out knowing he found some other girl to take my place that night.

            Now I sit in my room looking at the picture we took together as a couple. I want so badly to call him and tell him I take it back but I’m sure he’s too busy with Claire or Lauren or whoever was willing…I let a tear fall and lay in my bed. At least I sort of did the right thing…at least we’re still friends…

Find out more about Adalyn and Peyton in the RED Tragedies series here. Adalyn appears in A Tragic Heart, RED, Turn It Off (Coming Soon) & What Could've Been (Coming Soon). Peyton appears in A Tragic Heart, Turn It Off, & What Could've Been. 

Mason: The Brothers Club (Short Story)

New week, new short story! You can check out last week's right here (Taylor: The Greatest Liar). This week the story comes from Mason's point of view and if it fit a book it would be Turn It Off (Book 3 of the series). We know a little about this scene from A Tragic Heart (Book 1) when Mason confessed something to Peyton but it was never played out. Well, now it is! The story is entitled "The Brothers Club" and I hope you enjoy! It's a tad bit longer than the previous two.

Listen to "Ink" by Coldplay on repeat while reading:

https://soundcloud.com/deepak-pal-4/coldplay-ink-from-ghost-stories-live-2014-128-kbps-audio-only

Mason: The Brothers Club

             

            The doorbell rang for a second time before I decided to hop off the couch and answer it. My mom and dad are gone and Peyton is God knows where. Ever since he and Adalyn broke up, he’s been going down that slippery slope again. I’m a little afraid for him to be honest. 

            “I’m coming!” I yell towards the door as I make it down the hallway. 

            I open it to see Adalyn standing in front of me. Obviously, she’s here for Peyton. Lately, all these two do is yell at each other and then make up. I never thought it would be like that for them. She’s so good for him and they were happy for about a year straight. I thought she would be the girl to set him straight and keep him that way. I guess it’s true, we can’t change people. All I know is, he’s a fool! Adalyn is the closest thing to perfection we’ll get in this world. As she stands in front of me, she looks like a model who was snatched right out of a Maxim magazine cover. 

            “Oh hey, Adalyn! What’s going on?” I ask standing in the doorway.

            “Hey, Mason, is Peyton home?” she asks looking past me and into the house.

            She slowly moves her blonde hair away from her face. I never realized how bright her eyes are…they’re the perfect honey brown. 

            “Uh, no, he’s not. He left not too long ago. I have no idea where he went and how long he’ll be.”

            “Oh,” she replies in a disappointed tone. “I just wanted to talk to him about what happened the other night.”

            “You mean, about you two breaking up?” I ask raising one eyebrow. 

            She bites her bottom lip pretty hard before responding. “Uh, yeah. Of course he told you,” she says nonchalantly. “He tells you everything.”

            “Well, you’re welcomed to come in and wait for him if you’d like. He may be back in a little while,” I proposed. 

            She looked around for a few seconds before answering. “Okay, it’s not like I have anything better to do anyway.”

            I move to the side to let her in and she moves past me swiftly. She stops in the family room and turns to me. 

            “The Breakfast Club?!” she says with a wide smile. “That’s what you’re watching?!”

            “Uh, yeah…” I reply a little embarrassed. “There was nothing else on and-“

            “That’s awesome! This is my favorite movie!”

            She sits in the very same spot I was in just before I answered the door. Looks like I’m stuck watching The Breakfast Club with Adalyn. I admit I’m a fan of the movie too. I’m sure there was more to choose from but what can I say? I like a good 80’s movie. 

            The time speeds by and the end of the movie comes faster than I remember; yet there’s still no sign of Peyton. In a way, I enjoy him not being here. Spending time with Adalyn isn’t so bad. It’s actually a first for me. Every time she’s around Peyton’s with her. I never got a chance to get to know her. 

            “Hey, uh, so you want a beer or something while you wait for Peyton or do you have to go?” I ask a little more nervously than I should have.

            “A beer sounds not so bad right about now. Like I said, I have nothing to do,” she answers with a smirk. 

            I quickly head to the kitchen and take two of my dad’s beers out of the refrigerator. I come back and hand it to her. 

            “Thanks,” she says as she takes it from my hand. “You know, it’s a pretty nice night. Want to go out back and hang for a while?”

            “Sure! That sounds cool.”

            I lead the way and she follows along. Before I know it we’re both drinking and talking. She tells me about why she decided to break up with Peyton and how she’s honestly just worried about him and his state of mind. 

            “Has he seemed really off lately? Should I be worried?” she asks as if she truly cares about him. I can see how much she loves him. He started off as her best friend and bandmate and then became so much more. Peyton was her first for everything. 

            “He’s…” I pause for a few seconds. “He’s been drinking…a lot.”

            “Oh God!” she says as her eyes widen. “Has he-“

            “No, I don’t think so,” I answer before she can even ask the question. She’s worried he started using the hard stuff again. Peyton just got out of rehab last summer and we’re all a little afraid he’ll end up much worse if he goes back down that route again. 

            “Just keep an eye on him. I know he probably won’t let me get that close to him for a while,” she says moving her curly blonde hair behind her ear. 

            Just as she finishes her sentence, the sprinklers pop up and starts to spray us both. It’s unexpected and hilarious. We both squirm and fight to not get wet but it’s useless; we’re drenched by the time we make it back into the house. 

            We’re laughing as I close the back door. Her hair is sticking to her face and I slick mine back.

            “Well, uh, you can’t go home like that. Come upstairs and let me give you a shirt at least,” I say with a smile.

            She follows me up the stairs and into my room. I pick out something that I know wouldn’t look too big on her. 

            “Thank you,” she says as I hand it to her. 

            I walk out the room only to double back when I realize I probably should have offered her a pair of my basketball shorts to go with it. I open the door without knocking only to see her in her bra.

            “Oh, uh, I’m really sorry, I uh-“I begin to say.

            She laughs a little and tells me it’s okay. “I’m in a bra, not naked,” she laughs.

            “O-kay,” I say awkwardly. “Uh, well since you don’t mind I was just coming in to offer you a pair of shorts.”

            “Sure Mason, a pair of shorts would be great,” she says still in her laced pink bra.

            I stare at her longer than I should. She starts to unbutton her pants but I don’t even think to leave.

“This is the part where you should probably walk out,” she jokes, “unless you don’t want to…” 

I know it was meant as a joke but some part of me took it as a proposition. 

“What if I don’t want to?” I ask not taking my eyes off of her. 

Her face turns serious and we both stand there staring at each other. I make the first move and walk closer. She doesn’t move so I get as close as I can. I touch her wet hair and she looks up at me.

“Mason…” she says softly while looking into my eyes.

“I know…this is wrong but…” I can’t even finish my sentence. 

I move my face towards hers and kiss her lightly. She kisses me back letting me know she was one hundred percent with it. I place one hand on the side of her face and she continues to kiss me. She places her hand over mine and kisses me harder. 

Peyton’s like my brother so everything about this is wrong but I can’t stop myself. Adalyn’s too beautiful not to touch. I pull back from the kiss to take off my shirt. She looks at me and sits on my bed; her jeans already unbuttoned. Is this really going to happen? She’s no longer with Peyton but that doesn’t make it okay. He’s still in love with her and she’s in love with him. He’s the only guy she’s ever been with in that way; but most of all, he’s my cousin. 

None of these thoughts stop me. I go for it and before I know it, Adalyn and I are fully at it. For me it’s mostly lust, for her…well I can’t say. She’s a great girl and I think I could really like her if it ever came to it but more than likely that’s not going to happen. It was just the heat of the moment. 

When we finish she scrambles to find her clothes. Wet or not, she was in a hurry to go and I’m sure the last thing she wanted to wear was something that reminds her of me and what just happened. 

“I won’t tell Peyton,” I say after we’re fully dressed. “He doesn’t have to know.”

“I think that’s best,” she says barely looking at me. 

“I’ll let him know you stopped by,” I say before she walks out my room. 

“Yeah, thanks,” she replies as she hurries out. 

Well, so much for being one half of the brothers club…

Find out more about Mason and Adalyn in the RED Tragedies series here! Mason and Adalyn appears in A Tragic Heart, RED, Turn It Off (Coming Soon), and What Could've Been (Coming Soon)

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Mistakes (A Poem From Adalyn's POV + New Scene From RED)

Another week, another poem and scene from RED. Being that it's New Year's Eve, I think a poem about making mistakes and trying to learn and get better from them will be appropriate. We all have something we want to work out for the New Year. This poem is from Adalyn's point of view. It's called Mistakes. If you missed the poem from last week you can view it here.

Mistakes are lessons

Mistakes are certain

But it's always ugly revealing what's behind the curtain

He wasn't ready for it

Neither was I

But I caused it and left us to die

Mistakes are normal

Mistakes cause heartache

But I didn't mean for his heart to break

He was never there

And I was lonely

In my heart, he's my one and only

I did something that I can't take back

 There's no way of erasing the facts

But where's forgiveness when you need it?

I wait by the phone and I sit and sit

Mistakes are things we all must make

Mistakes are the things that raises the stakes

They test you when things are low

They make sure things are never the same

Mistakes cause you to remember you're the one to blame

I'm tired of pointing fingers

I just want us to be us again

But the trials from my mistake won't ever end

You left me all alone

And I may deserve it

But let's not act like you were perfect

You dreamed about her while you were awake

I was second best and that's what I can't take

You put me last when I should've been first

You buried me with her in the dirt

Now I'm done with pointing fingers

I just want to make you see

That I wasn't the only one who did something ugly

You raised her from the dead

While I was alive

So I made a mistake...that I can't deny

Here's the scene from RED that inspired Mistakes. Remember RED will be out this Valentine's Day.

“Adalyn, what’s going on?” he says frantically.

“I don’t know what happened but Lila said-”  I began to speak in my weak voice before he interrupts.

“Where were you when this happened? Why don’t you know what happened?” He raises his voice.

“Um, Mason I know you’re upset but you may want to tone it down a little,” Peyton warns as she touches his shoulder.

He takes a deep breath and I decide it’s a safe time to speak.

“Look Mason, I know that you’re upset and you have so many reasons to be right now. It was a lapse in judgment on my part and-”

“Yeah, Adalyn you’ve been having a lot of those lately, haven’t you?” he snaps at me.

I look at Peyton whose face tells me how sorry she is for everything. I don’t know what to say to him. Everything I say to him is going to be wrong.

“I’ll stay here just in case someone comes out with news on Ryan. I’ll let the nurse know that I’m here with you guys. You two should head outside and talk this out,” she offers in the kindest way possible.

Mason seems hesitant about her suggestion but eventually obliges. I follow behind him like a lost puppy and can’t help but think how much I’ve missed him.

“Now will you let me explain?” I ask the moment we reached outside the hospital’s entrance.

“Go ahead,” he responds coldly.

“I let the kids play outside for a while so I could get a few things together around the house. I had no one there to watch them so I told Lila to look out for her brothers being that she’s the oldest. Everything was fine. After I finished cleaning up and making sure everything was in order I looked at the time and saw that it was time for them to eat lunch. Before I went to the kitchen I went to the backyard to check on them and told them that it was time for them to come inside. I only left for a few minutes. I honestly don’t know what happened in that short time span but I heard screaming from the kitchen so I ran as fast as I could and-” I try to hold back my tears but I’m not strong enough.

My words strangle me causing my voice to become inaudible. I swallow harshly and struggle to finish my sentence. Mason shows no signs of sympathy.

“That’s when I saw it. Ryan was floating face down in the pool. I immediately pulled him out and started CPR. Lila said she wasn’t paying attention and he and Nick were running around the pool. Nick said they wanted to see who could make the biggest splash by diving in and Ryan went first. Nick said it took him a while to come up and when he did he wasn’t moving. They know they can’t swim, I just don’t understand why they would do something like this,” I finish while wiping my tears away from my eyes.

“I know why. Because they’re kids Adalyn! That’s why you should be watching them at all times! Why would you let them play outside by themselves? Especially the backyard! You know we never let them back there alone! How could you be so God damn stupid and careless?”

“You know what, Mason? Maybe if I had some help this wouldn’t have happened! Maybe if you’d come home sometime I wouldn’t have to deal with things like this! I made a mistake and I’m so sorry! It won’t happen again!” I shout back.

“You’re damn right it won’t happen again Adalyn because I’m getting custody of my children! I didn’t want life to change for them too drastically but this stunt that you pulled leaves me no choice at all. I’m calling my lawyer first thing in the morning!”

Something comes over me. I’m not sure what it is but it takes over my entire body. I’ve never felt anger rise inside of me so quickly. He wants to challenge me for my children. This is what we’ve come to.

I draw my hand back and smack him harder than I thought I could. The left side of his face turns red in an instant. For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel sorry.

“What the fuck?!” he shouts loud enough for the entire parking lot to hear.

“If you think that you’re going to take my children away from me and I won’t fight you, you have another thing coming to you, Mason! I made one mistake by cheating on you but you don’t get to take it out on them! What happened today could have happened if either one of us was watching them. Don’t try to make me sound like a bad parent when I was the one who practically raised them while you were always away working somewhere or obsessing over your dead ex-wife!” I state pointing my index finger at him as if I’m reprimanding a child.

“You have no right to talk to me this way, Adalyn,” he says in a much deeper tone.

Mason can be scary when he’s angry but I don’t let it bother me. I have to show him that I’m capable of being stronger than him.

“You’re an asshole, Mason! You want to know why I’ve been so side tracked lately? It’s because of you. It’s because you won’t talk to me or even look at me! It’s because you’re not even man enough to confront what happened between us. Instead you want to run away as if that’s going to fix things. Well it’s not! You ran away from Taylor, you ran away from Peyton, and now you’re running away from your family. Stop running and learn to deal with the cards given to you! Whether you like it or not you need to come back home so we can settle things like adults. You can keep your new fancy condo just in case you decide we can’t make it. I really don’t give a damn about the decisions you make anymore, Mason, but at least respect your family enough to decide together. You may not want me right now and it’s completely okay with me because at this moment I’m not sure if I want to be with you either!”

Before he can speak another word Peyton comes out to tell us that the doctor would like to see us. I don’t wait for Mason to make a move. Instead I quickly walk back into the entrance of the hospital ignoring everything else around me. Mason can rot in hell for all I care. He’s not going to get away with trying to take my babies away from me. They are all I have left.